What the Ring Finger Knows
by maple the wacky tree
Summary: Because he can handle Yukihara. He could even deal with Shiki. But there was one man that Narumi would not tolerate when it came to getting close to Yuka. So why is she wearing his ring? narumiXyuka fic. rated T for safety
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** well, i think i've finally decided to write something that wasn't a oneshot. it still might not be the longest thing in the world, but whatever. it took me a LONG time to figure out whether i should do a narumiXyuka pairing or a shikiXpairing. it really did. i wanted to use shiki SOOOO bad, but i felt as though the story fit narumi's character better. what do you think?

oh, and just as a note, i'm going to be straying a bit from the actual storyline. so for all of you diehard GA manga fans, don't flame me when you realize the stuff that's happening isn't actually in the manga. no wait. on second thought, _do_ flame me. at least it will get me some reviews. ;D

it's up to you guys as to how long i should make this. to be honest, i was just thinking maybe two or three chapters, but if you really like it and want it to be longer PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Disclaimer: don't own this. sigh, now that that's over, drum roll please . . .

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**_What the Ring Finger Knows_**

**CHAPTER ONE**

Narumi sat down on underneath the sakura tree with a satisfied sigh. He opened his bento lunch from the cafeteria and remarked cheerfully, "It's been a while since we've gotten to eat together, huh Yuka-sempai? It's a good thing that both middle school and high school have the same lunch period."

Yuka was quiet as she tucked her legs underneath her and fiddled with the blades of grass. She didn't look like she had even heard Narumi.

"Hello? Earth to Sempai!" Narumi said, waving his hand in front of her face and getting way too close.

Yuka jumped in surprise. "Sorry. You were saying?"

Narumi frowned. "Jeez, Yuka-sempai. Lunch isn't very fun if you're just going to daze out on me the whole time. We rarely get to spend time together anymore. At least _pretend_ like your mind isn't drifting off in another galaxy."

Yuka flashed him a small, sheepish smile. "You're right."

Yuka looked so cute then, smiling and looking up at them, that Narumi had to fight a blush. He ducked his head so that Yuka couldn't see. She had willingly volunteered to eat lunch with him, even though it was awkward for her since she knew about his feelings. Narumi couldn't let his emotions get out of hand. What if Yuka decided to avoid him again? But still, as he inspected his bento, he couldn't help but scoot a little closer to Yuka. A fact that was not lost on that particular girl. She stiffened. "Narumi, too close," she protested, trying to push him back. She turned her head, looking away.

"No, I'm not," Narumi teased, placing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close again. "Awww, can you believe it? I didn't get any omelets today. I hate being a two star," he complained overdramatically with a wide smile. "Three stars _always_ get omelets with their bento, right? Then I'm gonna steal one of yours."

But Yuka never reacted, not even when Narumi's chopsticks inched towards her bento. She just stared off into space.

Narumi frowned and clicked his chopsticks together, trying to get her attention. When that didn't work, he shook her shoulders. "Yuka-sempai!!!"

She jumped, snapping out of it again with a blush. She was acting pretty jumpy today. Scratch that. She was just acting plain _weird_. She wasn't herself at all.

"I'm sorry. It's just . . . I have a lot on my mind," Yuka mumbled. "Finals, you know?" She brushed stray locks out of her face, a gesture that almost appeared nervous. That's when Narumi saw _it. _

Narumi snatched Yuka's hands. Yuka jumped for a third time and looked at him in shock. "Narumi, what are you doing?" she asked.

Without a word, he released her left hand and brought her right hand closer to his face. "Yuka-sempai," he began slowly, trying to stay calm. Yuka heard the barely controlled rage in his voice, and she shrank back a little. But he wouldn't let go of her hand. "Yuka-sempai, what is this?"

"My hand. Now let go," Yuka whispered, trying to break free.

"Not your hand. What is _this_?" He spat out the last word like it tasted foul.

"What does it look like? It's a ring!" Yuka snapped. She finally managed to jerk free from Narumi, and she turned her back on him. She folded her arms, discreetly making sure that her right hand was hidden. "It's no big deal."

Unfortunately, Narumi wasn't giving up so easily. Yuka tensed as she felt him scoot closer behind her. She could feel his breath against the tip of her ear as he asked, "What kind of ring?"

"Just a ring. I can't wear jewelry when I want to?"

"It doesn't look like an ordinary ring. Not one you would wear, anyway."

"So?"

"Yuka-sempai . . ." Narumi trailed off. His voice sounded desperate, wounded. The sound of it made Yuka's heart bleed. She couldn't bear to look at him. Narumi rested his chin against her shoulder. With him that close, their cheeks were touching. And the contact _burned_. At least, it did for Yuka.

"Was it . . . you know . . . _him_?" Narumi questioned forlornly. He closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to hear.

Yuka stiffened. She knew without a doubt that he was talking about Shiki.

"You're wrong," Yuka whispered.

Narumi's eyes flew open in shock. What? Not Shiki? He hadn't expected this. He hadn't spent _that much_ time away from Yuka, had he? He hadn't been completely oblivious to some other guy vying for his sempai's affection, had he?

"Yukihara-sensei?" Narumi guessed.

But Yuka shook her head. She bit her lip.

"Then who?" he asked, completely baffled.

Yuka frowned resolutely. "I'm not telling."

"Come on, Yuka-sempai," Narumi prodded, genuinely curious. He gave her a little nudge. "You have to tell me."

"I don't want to. You'll get mad."

"No, I won't."

"You're lying."

"Just tell me." Narumi snaked his arm around Yuka and touched the ring. "Who gave this to you?"

Yuka hesitated. She held herself, as if bracing against the storm that was sure to come. Then . . .

". . . The Elementary School Principal," Yuka whispered, barely breathing.

Narumi's reaction was sudden and explosive, as Yuka had fearfully predicted. He jumped to his feet and wrenched Yuka up as well.

"WHAT!" Narumi shouted, shaking her shoulders. "You're _engaged _to that _bastard_!"

"You don't understand," Yuka defended hoarsely, half-heartedly.

"Then enlighten me," he hissed, "as to why you would be willing to marry a man you don't even like!"

"Who says I don't like Principal Kuonji?"

"Don't give me that crap. You're too obvious when you're lying."

"Then I'll tell you the truth. I'm marrying him whether you like it or not!"

Yuka ripped free from his grasp and started to walk away, her head hanging. The anger in Narumi dissipated. "Yuka-sempai, wait," he called desperately.

Yuka stubbornly refused to stop or turn around. She didn't even glance over her shoulder. Narumi quickly embraced her from behind in order to keep her from escaping. He held her tightly. Her waist never seemed so tiny and little before. Yuka suddenly seemed so fragile, like she needed to be handled with care and gentle hands. Something Narumi was sure the ESP couldn't do.

Narumi breathed in the scent of his sempai's hair to calm him down. Then he whispered, "Why him?"

Yukihara he could handle. He could even deal with Shiki. But to have Principal Kuonji steal Yuka away from him? Narumi refused to believe that Yuka might like the principal back.

"Why him? Please don't tell me this is some sort of mission. Don't tell me you're stupid enough to do something on your own. Or have you just given up and are giving into the elementary principal's demands?" Narumi pulled Yuka even closer, holding her tightly, afraid to let go. "I could help you. I could _protect_ you."

"It's something only I can do," Yuka murmured after a while. "I need to win his trust. I had to find a way to get close to him."

"And how close are you going to let _him_ get until you decide things have gone too far?"

"We're going to be married, aren't we?" she said. Her reply was so quiet that for a moment Narumi didn't think he had heard correctly.

Instead of feeling angry, Narumi just felt sick and in shock. His arms slid off her numbly. Yuka took this as an opportunity, and she immediately started to run away. She never looked back.

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"Principal Kuonji, there's someone who wishes to see you."

Kuonji looked up from his desk, pausing in the middle of his paper work. "Oh? Bring whoever it is in."

"Yes sir."

The secretary dashed off outside the room, only to walk back in with a newcomer a few seconds later. When the newcomer stepped from out of the shadows, the principal realized that it was Narumi.

"Thank you. You may leave," Kuonji told the secretary. She bowed and shut the doors behind her with a click.

The room was quiet. Even in the dim lighting, the principal could see Narumi's eyes. There was something heavy and serious weighing in the teenager's mind. That much the man could figure out.

"Well, well, Narumi. It's rare that you actually come to see me in person," Kuonji remarked. He laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands, staring at the student in interest. "What is it you wish to tell me? Is it about one of your missions I sent you on? I trust that they're running smoothly."

"That's not it," Narumi muttered quietly. He was staring at the principal too. Narumi never blinked as he gazed at the man. Not once.

Kuonji smiled widely. He wasn't affected by Narumi's stare down, not in the slightest. "Then please, do tell the real reason. I'm rather busy at the moment. Is there something you need me to do?"

". . . yes."

Narumi took a step forward, and then another. He slowly edged closer to the principal's desk. When he reached it, he hesitated, as if unsure how to proceed. Then, without warning, Narumi snatched the lamp on the desk and threw it at the wall. As it shattered into pieces and unleashed darkness into the room, Narumi snarled, "Go die!"

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**A/N: **Ooo! cliff hanger! don't we all just _love_ these? what does narumi do? well, i guess you just have to find out later. in the meantime, review review REVIEW!!! ^^


	2. Chapter 2

**_What the Ring Finger Knows_**

**CHAPTER TWO**

Narumi heard them coming for a long time before he actually saw the light, and an even longer time before he actually saw them. Narumi looked up from where he was sitting. In the light of their flashlights, Narumi could make out the shadowy outlines of his two sempai. He gaped in disbelief. "Yuka-sempai? Shiki?"

"Narumi!" Yuka gasped. She flung herself against the bars, clutching onto them so hard it made her knuckles turn white. "You're really here after all."

At the moment, they were in the basement below the elementary school. Most people had never been down there, so they wouldn't know of the few scattered prison cells that the elementary school principal kept handy. Narumi had been waiting in one for hours now. It was dark and damp, and the only thing inside was a stone bench.

Narumi pushed himself to his feet slowly and walked over to the bars. Everything felt surreal, as if he was in a dream. No, not a dream. Never a dream. A nightmare. "I can't believe you two found me," Narumi said.

"Shiki-san helped me find you. He's running his barrier Alice around us so that we don't get found," Yuka explained with a nod in Shiki's direction.

Shiki was standing back aways. It appeared as though he was keeping watch. Narumi didn't mind in the slightest. It would give him and Yuka a little alone time.

"Narumi, what happened?!" Yuka demanded, her voice low but slightly shrill. Her pale face looked so frantic.

Narumi turned sullen. "I punched the principal a couple of times," he admitted, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

"_What_?!?"

"Okay . . . maybe it was more than a couple of times," Narumi hedged.

"Narumi!" Yuka groaned. She tried to reach out to him, but she couldn't. The bars were criss-crossed too tightly. There wasn't enough space in between them to fit her hand. Seeing this, Narumi moved a little closer to the bars, and Yuka managed to brush the tips of her fingers across a slowly developing black eye. "Are you hurt?" she asked worriedly.

Narumi grinned like a dog. "Naw, Principal Kuonji didn't fight back much. He's a bit of a coward, incidentally. Or maybe he was trying to save his image by not hitting a student."

"What's going to happen now?"

Narumi sobered up, but he was still wearing a small smile. He didn't want Yuka to look so concerned. "He said he's going to detain me for 48 hours, I'm going to receive extra chores for about two weeks as punishment, and I'm supposed to wear these earring things for the rest of my life now." He pointed to his new earrings. "Apparently they shock you or something when you do things the principal doesn't like." Narumi's smile faltered slightly. "Although, I'm surprised he let me off this easily. He seemed pretty furious. I bet he wanted to do more, but he didn't want to get in trouble with the school. But just watch. One of these days, Principal Kuonji's going to send me on a mission that's going to be too tough for me, and he's going to expect me to die in action. I figure that that's going to be the way he gets rid of me."

Yuka groaned again.

It was then that Narumi noticed the hand Yuka was touching him with. He didn't see a ring on her finger. Narumi threw Yuka a confused glance that held a seed of hope inside.

But Yuka understood what he was thinking, and her hand dropped from his face. "I still have it. It's just hiding," she explained, averting her eyes guiltily. "After your reaction, I figured it would be best to keep it a secret. The principal will just have to deal with us not going by tradition for a while."

Us. Narumi didn't like the way Yuka said "us." The word "us" was never meant to encompass and join the two souls of Yuka and ESP together. Trying to suppress his scowl of disgust, Narumi jerked his chin towards Shiki. "Does he know?"

The guilt written on Yuka's face grew even more pronounced. "No. And I'm not planning on telling him anytime soon."

"Well you should. He has a right to know. I'm sure he would help you out too."

"I don't want him to, and I don't want you to either." Yuka's eyes flashed with anger and worry. "Narumi, why did you do something so stupid?!"

"Because I couldn't stand it!" Narumi admitted in a whisper, leaning against the bars even closer. He intertwined his fingers with Yuka's. "I don't want you to marry the elementary school principal. I've told you already, haven't I? That I . . . I love you."

"Narumi," Yuka said warningly as he bent down closer to her face.

"What? It's not like you can stop me," Narumi murmured. If pheromones didn't work, he would just have to settle with using his best seductive voice. "You can't stop me from having feelings about you. To be honest, I would punch out the principal a thousand times if it meant that you would be mine."

"But I'm not yours, and I never will be," Yuka said, almost sounding stern in her resoluteness. "I'm—"

"Engaged, yeah," Narumi interrupted. "But you're not married. Not yet, anyway. Which means I can still do this."

Before Yuka could move, Narumi leaned in and kissed her through the bars. Yuka was too surprised to do anything but accept it. It was gentle and surprisingly chaste for Narumi—then again, it wasn't like he could do much with the bars firmly standing in between them. Narumi pressed as close to the bars as possible, wanting so much to sweep Yuka in his arms and crush her body against his. But he knew if that happened, he probably wouldn't be able to let her go. Heck, he would probably still be kissing and holding her straight through the wedding, causing her to miss the ceremony. That would solve all of their problems, in Narumi's opinion.

As usual, Yuka broke off from the kiss as soon as the shock wore off. Narumi wished that he could grab her and pull her right back. Curse the bars for being too small! However, Narumi did feel a spring of satisfaction at the sight of Yuka's flushed cheeks and the way she touched her lips with wide eyes.

"Yuka," Shiki said, interrupting the moment. "We should probably head back up. I don't know if it's safe to stay much longer."

Yuka hesitated at the bars, her face torn with indecision. Then she looked back at Shiki with imploring eyes and asked, "Can we come back?"

Shiki paused, and then he shook his head. "I don't think we should risk it. Don't worry, he'll only be in there for two days."

"But . . ." Yuka trailed off, staring at Narumi helplessly.

Narumi gave her a reassuring smile. "He's right. I'll be fine." And then, in a lower voice so that Shiki couldn't hear, he added suggestively, "And once I get out of here, we can have a little continuation of that moment, if you wanted."

Yuka blushed heavily again, and she frowned. "Not happening, Narumi," she replied sternly.

Narumi shrugged, smirking. "Hey, it was worth a shot, wasn't it?"

Yuka reluctantly pried her hands away from the bars and returned to Shiki's side. Before they could leave, Narumi called out to her again in desperation. "Yuka-sempai! Please. Promise me you won't do anything stupid!"

Yuka threw Narumi a look over her shoulder. "You mean like the stupid thing you just did?" she replied dryly.

"No, like the stupid thing you're planning on doing."

"I don't see why I should have to make any promises when you're being just as stupid."

"I'm allowed to do stupid things because I _am_ stupid," Narumi stated with a roll of his eyes. "But you're not stupid. You're too good for this." Narumi knew Shiki was probably utterly confused at the conversation, but he didn't care. His stoic sempai could stand to look a little bewildered from time to time. Narumi tightened his grip against the bars. "You shouldn't have to resort to this."

"Being stupid isn't an excuse," Yuka said. She walked away with Shiki.

"Yuka-sempai!" Narumi called. When he didn't respond he tried again. "Yuka!" he exclaimed, using just her name for the first time.

It worked. Yuka froze.

"Then how about this excuse, Yuka? People do stupid things when they're in love," Narumi shouted at her. "Just . . . just remember, you have options. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, or if you're scared."

Yuka threw him a pained look. She bit her lip.

Narumi reached out as far as his hand could fit in the bars. "I could protect you," he said, repeating what he had said that afternoon.

After a moment of hesitation, Yuka shook her head. "I don't need you to protect me," she responded.

"But you want me to."

Her face was completely devoid of expression, just like Shiki's. "I don't."

And then they disappeared. Teleported back into the light. Narumi sighed and collapsed back on the stone bench. But it didn't matter. He would find Yuka again after 48 hours were done with taking their sweet time and dragging by. Then she would be back in his arms, safe. Narumi would stop at nothing to find a way to break the marriage.

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**A/N:** srry it took so long to update. just started back at school, and they've already slammed us. i'm kind of winging this story a bit. i still don't know exactly how long i want to make this. in actuality, i could just end it here, but i guess that depends on what the reviewers think, hmm? so if you like, then review, otherwise i won't continue. and that's a promise.


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